Roji hand cast Japanese tetsu kyusu

This tetsu kyusu is 3" high and 6" in diameter, minus lid and handle, and weighs 2 lbs 12 ounces. It took a bit of effort to discover which foundry uses this mark but I finally found a pot with the mark and a Roji tag. It came with a nabeshiki (trivet) in the same design but it is worthy of its own post. Both the pot and trivet have been used and had minor rusting and soiling which cleaned up easily. The finish on the base of the pot has been damaged by sharp edges on the trivet.

This is a very high quality casting made, I believe, in the traditional way a tetsubin is made in a one use mold. There are no file or grind marks on this pot, it is virtually perfect, with a final finish that probably took several days to accomplish. The urushi lining is grey, a trait I usually see on older tetsu kyusu, but I do not think that this is an old pot, though I can't explain why. It think the use of a traditional formula for creating the lining was part of the care taken in the creation of this pot, perhaps as an homage to past techniques.

I have not bought a tetsu kyusu for a couple of months as I have decided to use my remaining display space for really special pots. This one fit the bill because of the incredible quality of the build, because it is by a maker of very high quality pots and it will be a good example of the work of this foundry.